Apparatus for automatically equalizing brakes



June 12, 1934. F, GQUGH 1,962,989

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EQUALIZING BRAKES Filed Dec. 1, 1933 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EQUALIZING BRAKES My invention relates to automatic brake equalizing means.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a device by which a plurality of vehicle brakes may be equalized in such a manner that they will automatically simultaneously exert a predetermined braking pressure even though actuated by a single actuating means.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a device of the class described which will be novel, practical and of utility; which maybe constructed in a compact and economical manner; which will eliminate a great amount of the expense now occasioned by the necessity for frequently or periodically adjusting vehicle brakes; which provides a complete mechanical linkage positively operable without danger of failure due to escape of a mobile material, as is true of hydraulic brakes; which will eliminate the danger of leakage necessarily present in all previously used hydraulic brake equalizing systems; which will eliminate the necessity of packing with a view of attempting to avoid the leakage of fluid necessarily included in all previously used hydraulic brake equalizing systems; which will provide a case partially rotated on an axis transversely to the longitudinal axis of the car; which will eliminate the necessity of a seal on the piston; which will prevent the escape of the rubber; which will not require the use of a fluid; which will eliminate many accidents caused at the present time due to lack of proper adjustment of vehicle brakes; and,

which will be efiicient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended.

The invention consists substantially of a single hollow case of rigid construction pivotally mounted so it may be partially rotated by a usual foot brake lever arm, a mobile material,

preferably rubber, confined within the case, and

practically filling the same, and a lever arm, for each brake to be actuated, mounted on the case in such a manner that it is actuated, when the case is partially rotated, only by contact with the mobile substance. The mobile material may consist of many substances, but applicant prefers use of certain kinds of rubber, or a desired non-fluid substance. It is preferable that the material be of such a nature that when it is once moulded into a certain form it will have the tendency to remain in that form until sufiicient pressure is brought to bear thereon to re-form all or a portion of its body.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appear, my invention consists in the construction, novel features and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims hereto appended, and illus trated in the accompanying one sheet drawing, of which,

Figure 1 is a rear side elevational view of a device built in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear side elevational view of a slightly dilferent embodiment of the invention; and, I

- Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, shape, weight and other details of construction, within the scope of my invention, may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or broad-principle of my invention, and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof; andit is also understood that the drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not restrictive.

A description of the first mentioned embodiment of the invention follows:

The reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole a hollow rigid case preferably of metal having an open front face 2 and an open rear face 3, and at each end is provided with trunnions 4 adapted to be journaled in bearings, not shown. A top 5 and a bottom 6 are made integral with the faces 2 and 3. One end of the housing, preferably the left hand end, is provided with a 99., perpendicularly upstanding foot lever 7 by which the case may be partially rotated. The case is filled, or substantially filled, with rubber, or a suitable mobile material which is indicated by the reference numeral 8. V

The topv 5 adjacent the rear face 3 is provided with a pair of spaced hinges 9 to which are pivotally attached the upper ends of a pair of parallel lever arms 10 and 11. The arms are so disposed that they extend downwardly along the rear face 3 and are of a length sufficient to protrude past the bottom 6. The free ends of the arms 10 and 11 are adapted to connect desired links or other mechanical connections whereby a brake may be operated by each when the case 1 is partially rotated by forward pressure upon the foot lever '7.

To each of the arms 10 and 11 is attached a flat plate 12, the two completely closing the open face 3. The inner faces of the plates 12 contact the mobile material 8, and when the case 1 is partially rotated, as above described, it is the contacting of the material 8 with the plates which transmits force to the lever arms to cause their actuation.

The front face 2 is provided with lever arms 13 and 14 carrying plates similar to those provided for therear face, except that these arms are hingedly attached to the bottom 6 and extend upwardly along the front 2 and protrude above the top 5. One of the front plates is indicated by the reference numeral 15, the other not being shown. The arms 10 and 11 are to be connected through desired connections to the front brakes of a vehicle, and the arms 13 and 14 to the rear brakes.

The brake connecting mechanism has not been shown herein due to the fact that it..is not pertinent to this invention which of the many known linkages is used. However, this mechanism should be adjustable so that a like arcuate movement of the lever arms would cause a substantially simultaneousv operation of the brakes.

Operation that a resistance is placed upon the free end of the lever arm 11 before any is placed upon the other arms, the material 8 would be moved slightly in the case and would adjust itself along the lines of least resistance. .In this instance, the plate 12 carried by the arm 11 would be imbedded slightly in the material, and. in turn, the material would force the other plates slightly outwardly. This movement of the ma-- terial would again bring all four of the leverarms into perfect adjustment with their respective brake connections. Due to the nature of the material, having an'inherent tendency to remain in any form to which it is moulded, the material will remain in such a-form as to keep the lever arms in proper adjustment with each other, and at any time the brake connecting mechanism is not in proper adjustment the material 8 will be re-formed along the lines of least resistance to overcome this mis-adjustment.

In my device there is no chance of the brakes failing entirely to function at any time due to loss ofthe mobile material, because if the ma- 7 terial 8 was entirely removed from the case, the

arms bearing against the case 1 would'cause the brakes to be operatedupon operation of the foot lever.

From the above described structure it will be which plurality of brakes, get out of adjustment, the device will automatically and instantaneously overcome such condition.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4,, a description will be made of a slightly different embodiment of the invention.

In this embodiment the case-1 is mounted similarly to the above described embodiment and is similarly provided with the foot lever 7. The front and rear faces, instead of having square openings are each provided with a round openmg.

To the upper left hand corner of the rear face 3 is connected by a suitable hinge 16 the upper end of a lever arm 1'7 which extends along the face diagonally downward and toward the right and protrudes past the face a desired distance. Intermediate its ends the arm 17 is provided with an annular plate 18 adapted to fit into the opening in the face 3 and contact with its inner face the material 8 within the case.

To the right hand upper corner of the face 3 is a similar hinge 19 to-which is connected the upper end of a similar lever arm 20 which extends along and protrudes from the face 3 at right angles to the lever arm 1'7. Intermediate its ends the arm'20 is equipped with a circular disk'21 adapted to fit within and close the central opening of the annular plate 18. The inner face'of the disk 21 is also adapted to contact the material 8. e

The front case 2 of the case 1 is provided with structure similar to that just described, except that lever arms 22 and 23 are mounted thereon in such a manner that their free ends extend past the face 2 in an upward and outward direction.

The operation'of the last described embodiment is so similar to that of the first described embodiment that it is deemed unnecessary to describe such operation in detail. 7

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is. illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described herein, and applicable, for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and,

adaptations and other uses of the form ofthe device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

f Having thus described my invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, a rigidly constructed hollow case mounted for partial rotation, a plurality of lever arms, each hinged to the case with its free end protruding therebeyond, said free. ends each adapted to actuate separate brake operating elements and a body of rubber within the case and upon which said lever arms act, said rubber permitting relative movement of the said lever arms with respect to each other in their movement with respect to the case.

2. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combination an element mounted to rock about an axis disposed transversely of the automobile, agroup of levers pivoted upon said element and movable bodily therewith and formed to have the brake rods of the automobile connected thereto, a body of resilient material carried by said element and upon which all of said levers bear, and a manually operable member connected to said element for rocking the same to impart an equalized thrust through the medium of the body of resilient material to all of said levers in unison.

3. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combinationan element mounted to rock about an axis disposed transversely of the automobile, a group of levers pivoted upon said element and movable bodily therewith and formed to have the brake rods of the automobile connected thereto, a body of rubber carried by said element and upon which all of said levers bear,

and a manually operable member connected to said element for rocking the same to impart an equalized thrust through the medium of the body of rubber to all of said levers in unison.

4. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combination an element mounted to rock about an axis disposed transversely of the automobile, a group of levers pivoted upon said element and movable bodily therewith and formed to have the brake rods of the automobile connected thereto, a body of rubber carried by said element and upon which all of said levers bear, and a foot-pedal connected to said element for rocking the same to impart an equalized thrust through the medium of the body of rubber to all of said levers in unison.

5. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combination a group of brake-connected pivoted levers, a manually operable member, connections between the group of levers and said member, comprising a body of resilient material, said connections being shaped and disposed to impart movement to said levers under the infiuence of the manually operable member while equalizing the movement of said levers under the yieldable action of the body of resilient material.

6. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combination a rocking element, a group of levers movably mounted upon said rocking element, the free ends of said levers being fashioned for connection to a plurality of brake rods, and the bearing of said levers upon said element including a block of rubber disposed in a common relation to all of said levers, the major portion of the movement of the brake rods being under the influence of the rocking movement of said element and the yieldability of the rubber eflecting equalization of the thrust of all of the brake rods.

7. An automobile brake mechanism comprising in combination a case, means for mounting said case to rock about an axis transverse to the frame of the autom'obile, a foot-pedal connected to said case for imparting partial rotation thereto, a plurality of ears upon the exterior of the case, a group of levers pivoted to said ears with the free ends of some of said levers projecting beyond the case and at one side of the case and the free ends of other of said levers being disposed toward and beyond the opposite side of the case, a block of yieldable and resilient material disposed within said case, and metallic wear elements disposed between the block of resilient material and the levers through which the levers have bearing upon said block of material and vice versa.

8. An automobile brake mechanism comprising, in combination, a movable case, a group of brake actuating members carried by and bodily movable with said case, a block of rubber mounted in said case upon which all of the brake actuating members have common bearing and means for bodily moving said case, the movement of the case setting the brakes through the bodily movement thereby imparted to the brake actuating members and the yieldability of the rubber equalizing the thrust transmitted through said brake actuating members.

FRANK GOUGH. 

